The development of an apparatus to understand the traction developed at the shoe–surface interface in tennis

Abstract

The traction developed at the shoe–surface interface can have a significant influence on a player’s injury risk and performance in tennis. The purpose of this study was to investigate shoe–surface traction on a dry acrylic hard court and two artificial clay court tennis surfaces in dry and wet conditions. A laboratory-based mechanical test rig was developed to measure the traction force developed at the shoe–surface interface. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between normal force and three measures of traction: initial stiffness, peak traction force and average dynamic traction force. The normal force did not significantly influence the initial stiffness for the shoe–surface system on the acrylic hard court but did on the artificial clay surfaces. The infill particle size and the addition of moisture influenced the traction developed on the artificial clay surfaces. Small, dry particles developed greater traction and with a sufficiently high applied normal force will provide traction comparable to that on an acrylic hard court. However, increased particle size and/or the presence of moisture generally reduced traction. Strong and significant positive linear relationships were found between peak traction force and average dynamic traction force for all surface types and conditions. This study improves the understanding of the influence surface characteristics have on shoe–surface traction mechanisms. Once traction mechanisms are understood, surface properties and/or footwear can be effectively changed to maximise performance and/or minimise injury risk.